2010-2011 Scholars

Corine Ackerson-Jones received her B.S. and M.Ed at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She is currently Coordinator of Recruitment and Retention for the College of Health Professions at Armstrong Atlantic State University. Her duties include but are not limited to academic advising, recruiting for the College and working with students who find themselves in academic difficulty. She also helps facilitate student appeals and handles student and parent-related concerns. She is in the process of developing and implementing an academic advisement and student support center for Health Professions pre-majors. She has been at Armstrong for four years. She is married to Army Col. Bobby W. Jones and has one son, Bradley, who is a sophomore at Armstrong.

Phil’s position as Director of Entrepreneurial Projects includes being the institutional point of contact for applied research for the regional business community. He is VSU’s lobbyist in Atlanta during the legislative session. He works with two year institutions to create a smooth transition for their students who desire to continue their education at VSU. He has been asked to create a business incubator for the Valdosta area. Phil is working toward a Ph.D. at the University of Georgia. Phil previously directed a USG statewide program for professional development, Georgia LEADS, which leveraged the resources of the institutions to address the strategic professional development needs of knowledge workers in Georgia industries. He was the Interim Director of Public Services at Valdosta State where he managed three academic credit departments including the University’s distance learning programs and two non-credit ones. In his first incarnation with the USG, he built parts of three satellite uplink earth stations, renovated a state of the art television broadcast/production facility and built the original electronic infrastructure of WUGA at the University of Georgia. At one time, he had his recordings from parts of the Athens music scene featured on both Georgia Public Broadcasting and nationally on NPR. Phil holds a BA from the University of Georgia and a Masters in Public Administration from Valdosta State where he was the Hugh C. Bailey Outstanding Student in the Management track for 2002.

Carolina Amero is starting her fourth year as the Assistant Vice President for Auxiliary and Administrative Services at Clayton State University. She also serves as the university’s Customer Service Champion and advisor to the Go Green student organization. Prior to joining Clayton State, she worked for BellSouth/ AT&T at the company’s various headquarter locations in Atlanta. Carolina was part of an executive development program throughout her career with BellSouth, Carolina earned a Master in International Business Studies from the University of South Carolina, a Master in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of South Carolina. She was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and raised near Toronto, Ontario. Carolina is married with two daughters, age 14 and 11. She speaks Czech, French, and some German. Her hobbies include tennis, skiing, kickboxing, reading, and travel.

A. Kay Anderson has served as Registrar of Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville since 2007. Prior to this appointment, she served as Registrar of Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. She holds a B.A. with majors in German and English, as well as an M.A. in Counseling from Truman State. She also holds a graduate certificate in institutional research from the University of Missouri – St. Louis, and is currently working on a Ph.D. from University of Georgia in College Student Affairs Administration. Anderson is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Georgia, Southern, and American Associations of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Counselors; the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi; and the Association of Institutional Research. In her spare time, Anderson enjoys digital scrapbooking, traveling, reading, and attending Broadway musicals.

Dr. Anderson serves as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at University of West Georgia. His educational background includes an A.A.S. from Ricks College (now BYU-I), a B.S. in Sociology from Utah State University, an M.Ed. in Business Education from the State University of West Georgia, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from University of Kentucky. As a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Management, Dr. Anderson teaches courses in Management, Organizational Behavior, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management. His research has been published in the Journal of Change Management, the Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management, the Journal of Business and Psychology, the Journal of Contemporary Business Issues, and the Journal of Education for Business, among other journals. His research focuses on the methods and processes used by organizations to craft and implement strategies. When not at work, he enjoys outdoor activities, building and remodeling projects, sports, and spending time with his wife and six children.

Deepa Arora currently serves as the Division Chair for Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering at Middle Georgia College. She obtained her PhD in Biomedical Nutrition from Medical College of Pennsylvania, now Drexel University School of Medicine. She previously served as a Professor of Biology at Fort Valley State University. She has taught several undergraduate and graduate level courses at Fort Valley. She is currently active in writing grants and attending conferences and workshops. She has served as the project director for several funded grants. Her research interests include studying the effects of nutrition on the immune response. She has also studied the nutritional status of college students and its relationship to obesity.

David Bartram has been at East Georgia College for 9 years, 6 as the Chair of the Social Science Division. He has over 25 years of college teaching experience at institutions in Michigan, Indiana, and Georgia. David has a BA in Financial Administration from Michigan State University, Master of Public Administration from Western Michigan University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Commonwealth Open University. He enjoys reading, spending time with family, watching college sports, and travel, if and when time permits.

Barbara Brown currently serves as the Dean of Social Sciences and SACS Liaison for Georgia Perimeter College. Prior to becoming Dean, she served as department chair for seven years and as Professor of Psychology. With degrees in both Psychology and Brain Science and Clinical Psychology, Dr. Brown has enjoyed varied teaching experiences, ranging from teaching gross anatomy to medical students at Emory University School of Medicine and Brown University School of Medicine, to teaching nursing students at Quinnipiac College (now University), to teaching counseling and clinical psychology students at the Georgia School of Professional Psychology (now part of Argosy University). Barbara Brown and her husband have three grown daughters (two teachers, one nurse) and three dogs. They enjoy working together renovating their 75-year-old arts and crafts bungalow, gardening, and sailing.

Since 2006 Rodney Carr has been the Director of the Dublin Center Campus at Middle Georgia College. Responsibilities include the oversight of the daily operations of the 800 student University Center of Dublin Georgia, designing and implementing an aggressive recruitment strategy for the Center, improving facility design and appearance, and implementing effective curriculum for traditional students and nontraditional students. Prior to his current position he was Director of Development, Athletics and Public Safety at Middle Georgia from 2001 to 2006. From 1996 to 2001 he was Captain of Operations for the University Police at Southern Polytechnic State University.

He received a Bachelor of Science, University of West Georgia in 1997, followed by a Master of Public Administration from Valdosta State University in 2007 and
earned a certificate of Education Specialists from Georgia Southern University in 2010.

Erwin Carrow has worked for the USGBOR Office of Internal Auditing and Compliance since March 2007. In November 2009 he became IT Audit Director to support auditing and consulting efforts. Prior to joining the BOR, Erwin was an instructor for ten years with the Technical College System of Georgia, teaching Computer Information Systems and Information Security. Before that, he spent 5 years active duty in the US Army as an Infantry Officer, and is currently a chaplain in the Air Force Reserve in the rank of major with 22 years experience, stationed at Robins AFB in Warner Robins Georgia. He earned a Bachelor’s in Music Composition from Kansas City Missouri Conservatory of Music and two master’s degrees from Regents University in Virginia Beach Virginia. He is a trained certified crisis intervention stress management counselor and recipient of the American Bible Society Award for biblical language scholarship.

Pamela is a registered nurse, having served in multiple administrative leadership positions since 1980. For the first 16 years, she worked in a variety of hospitals in positions including Charge Nurse, Assistant Head Nurse, Administrative Supervisor, Nurse Manager, and Director of Nursing. Her clinical experience includes critical care and adult medical surgery. Pamela joined the Medical College of Georgia (now Georgia Health Sciences University) in the College of Nursing in 1996. In 2005, she was promoted to Assistant Dean in the College of Nursing for the Office of Student Services. Pamela has served in many leadership positions for GHSU Faculty Senate. She is a member of the inaugural class of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program (DNP) in 2006, and is committed to advancing her institution’s mission to become a nationally recognized academic health science university. She is the 2005 CSRA Nurse Educator of the Year and the 2010 College of Nursing Outstanding Faculty of the Year. She is the Principle Investigator of several HRSA grants and a Sub-Investigator of a HRSA Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant. Pamela has been married for 27 years and is the parent of a Jack Russell Terrier. She loves the outdoors, especially the lake, and enjoys reading.

Kevin Demmitt is the Associate Vice President for Extended Programs at Clayton State University. In this position he oversees off-campus academic programs, distance education, the dual-enrollment program, and the Honors Program. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from Purdue University and M.A. in Sociology from Arizona State University. He is the author of Marriage and Family: An Introduction Using Explorit that is in its third edition (published by Wadsworth) and is a contributing author on several other marriage and family textbooks. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Demmitt has served as the Director of the Honors Program, founding coordinator of the sociology and criminal justice degree programs, and a mentor in Clayton State’s Center for Instructional Development. Kevin is married to Audrey Demmitt, who is the school nurse at J.C. Booth Middle School, and has three children attending the University of Georgia. His hobbies are travel and reading. He leads an annual study-abroad trip to Italy every spring.

Susan Campbell Lounsbury is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research and Policy Analysis with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. In this position, she is responsible for collecting and reporting data on students, faculty, administrators, and courses in the USG. Prior to moving to Georgia in 2003, Susan worked for the Legislative Office of Education Oversight (LOEO) in Columbus, Ohio. As a Program Evaluator with LOEO, she was responsible for evaluating education programs funded by the General Assembly. Susan holds a B.S. in Psychology from Louisiana State University, an M.S. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Pennsylvania State University. She is an active member of several professional organizations including the Association for Institutional Research and the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Susan is married and has two children, ages seven and nine. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her family and volunteering with the PTA.

John Lester is associate vice president for university relations at Columbus State University, where he has been Columbus State for nine years. He is in charge of all marketing, branding and external communications at CSU, and is a member of the President’s Staff. John came to Georgia from the University of Florida, where he worked in UF’s news and public affairs office and was editor of the university’s alumni magazine. Previous to that, he was a newspaper reporter for the Tampa Tribune. John earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida, a Master’s of Public Administration from Columbus State University, and is on track to earn his doctorate in public administration next year from Valdosta State University. He is married and has two daughters, ages 6 and 11.

Donna Mayo has served in her current position as Dean of the School of Business at Dalton State College since July 2003. Prior to 2003 she was a faculty member at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, LSU, and Middle Tennessee State University. Her undergraduate degree is a B.S. in Sociology, and she was a social worker in the area of mental health for several years before earning a M.B.A. and Ph.D. in Marketing. Her teaching and research areas of interest are marketing research and leadership.

Donna and her husband Buddy, a faculty member at Kennesaw State, have two sons, Ben and Zach. Ben is in graduate school at UNC, and Zach is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda.

Caroline McMillan has been Director of East Georgia College’s Statesboro Instructional Site for the past six years. The Site has nearly 2,000 students, who benefit from the smaller academic environment of a two-year college, while enjoying the student services benefits offered by a large, four-year university. Caroline has found working for East Georgia College and with Georgia Southern University a rewarding experience. Caroline comes from a family of academicians, both teachers and administrators, and has always loved the college environment. She earned both her BBA and MBA from Georgia Southern University, though she took a fairly long hiatus between the BBA and the MBA to work in corporate America before entering the “family business.” She enjoys reading, spending time with family, traveling, and being outdoors.

Kelly McMurray is the Director of Institutional Research at Gordon College. She is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data to support program review and assessment, institutional planning, policy formation, decision-making, federal and state reporting, and requests for information about the College. She earned a B.S. in Mathematics from Clark Atlanta University, an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from North Carolina A&T State University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies with a concentration in Research, Measurement, and Statistics from Georgia State University.

Tarrah is currently working on an EdD in Organizational Leadership and Development. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry and a Master’s in Curriculum and Development with an emphasis in Computer Education. Most of her education was paid for by the Marine Corps, in which she served for four years. She has been part of the University System of Georgia since November of 2005, currently working at Albany State University as the Director for Instructional Technology since March 2008. Tarrah enjoys spending time with her two daughters, creating scrapbooks, reading and rollerblading.

Larry Mitcham currently serves as the Director of Financial Aid at Gordon College, a position he has held for the past nine years. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and from Mercer University with a Master of Business Administration Degree. Larry is an avid golfer and is married with twin daughters.

Patricia L. Donat earned her BA in psychology from University of Northern Iowa and her MA in clinical psychology and PhD in social psychology from University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is Professor of Psychology and Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs for North Georgia College & State University. She also has served as Associate VPAA at NGCSU and as Associate VPAA, Acting Dean for Arts and Sciences, and Interim Division Head for Education and Human Sciences at Mississippi University for Women. As Acting VPAA, Dr. Donat is responsible for providing leadership in guiding the academic mission and strategic direction of the university, promoting and supporting academic excellence, recruiting and retaining high-quality faculty and students and providing for their intellectual and personal growth, developing and administering academic programs in collaboration with the schools and departments, and maintaining academic policies, procedures, and standards for faculty and students. In addition, Dr. Donat is actively involved in the development of the institution’s internationalization plan and in strategic planning efforts to enhance high impact learning practices through service learning and undergraduate research.

Jerome Drain came to Atlanta Metropolitan College in February 2010 as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. On June 1, 2010 he was named Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Drain has extensive faculty and senior-level administrative experience. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC; the Master of Business Administration degree from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan; and the Doctoral degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. Dr. Drain has taught general biology, microbiology, general chemistry, and cellular biology at the college and university levels. He has served as Biology Department Head at Grand Rapids Community College, Dean of Arts and Sciences at Florida State College at Jacksonville, and Division Chair of the Sciences at Davenport University.

Scott Dunn has just completed his 17th year with Bainbridge College. He currently serves as the CIO and Director for the Office of Information and Instructional Technology. Prior to becoming CIO in 2002, Scott held a faculty appointment in computer science. Previous experience includes work in systems analysis, instructional technology, and helpdesk support. Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in math education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He graduated with a master’s degree in management information systems from the Florida State University in 2001. Scott is currently the Chair-Elect for the USG CIO Advisory Council (formerly ACIT). He will assume the role of chair for the 2011-2012 academic year. Scott also serves on the USG audit advisory committee and was a member of the original ELI steering committee. In his free time, Scott loves to travel and is very involved in community theatre. He has appeared in over 35 productions and currently serves as the chair of the board of directors. Scott is also currently serving on the Leadership Decatur County steering committee, the Decatur County United way board of directors, and the Kiwanis Club of Bainbridge board of directors.

Lauren Fancher is the Director of the GALILEO Support Services (GSS) group, which provides all of the user services in GALILEO, Georgia’s Virtual Library, including functional and configuration support for end-users and libraries. Lauren has an educational background in studio art (BFA, UGA) and instructional technology (MEd, UGA), and as a result, has a focus on interactive design and digital media. She is active in the instructional technology, library, and digital arts communities as a writer, presenter, and artist. In the past year, she has presented at the Electronic Resources and Libraries Conference, where she spoke about the challenges of gathering meaningful database usage statistics in a consortial environment, and the American Educational Computing and Technology conference, where she spoke about collaborative user-centered design processes in a statewide virtual library.

Mr. Flowers is the Director of Government and Community Affairs for Georgia State University. His responsibilities include communicating the needs and capabilities of the faculty, staff and students of GSU to the Board of Regents, the Georgia General Assembly, members of Congress, the Mayor and Council for Atlanta, and the local business community. He worked for the Board of Regents from 2001-2007, assisting the CIO on matters of technical policy, and the Sr. Vice Chancellor for External Affairs as a legislative liaison. As Special Assistant for the CIO, he led collaborative efforts among the 35 institutions in areas of strategic planning for IT services, system policy on e-learning, intellectual property, and security. His legislative work included committee presentations, development and execution of strategy for each legislative session, and negotiation with the legislature to assure the support of USG interests. He was appointed by the Chancellor as USG Customer Service Champion in 2006 and coordinated activities for University System participation in the Governor’s Customer Service Initiative. His work experience includes 20 years in the private sector.

Robert P. Forbes has been at Southern Polytechnic State University for seven years. He serves as the Director of Procurement and Mail Services and the Interim Senior Director of Facility Operations. Robert was recently nominated as an outstanding staff member of the year. Prior to coming to Southern Polytechnic State University, Robert worked for three different state agencies in the procurement and contracts fields after moving to Georgia from California, where he worked in the private sector. Robert and his wife Tammie have two boys; they enjoy family travel.

Dr. Richard M. (Rick) Franza is Chair of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship of Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business. The Department consists of over 35 full-time and 20 part-time faculty members. Dr. Franza is also Associate Professor of Management with primary areas of expertise in Operations Management, Management of Technology, and Project Management. His main research areas are strategic investment in production facilities, the intersection of operations and marketing, new product development, and technology transfer. He taught at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and Bentley College (now Bentley University) prior to his arrival at Kennesaw State.
Dr. Franza is a retired United States Air Force officer who managed research and development programs for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) or “Star Wars” program. Dr. Franza earned a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from University of Notre Dame, an M.B.A. from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and a Ph.D. in Operations Management from Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Franza resides in Kennesaw with his wife, Lorie, and their two daughters.

Jo K. Galle is the Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Georgia Gwinnett College. At GGC, Galle provides academic support for a number of initiatives at this rapidly growing institution. Prior to this position, she served as the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning at Southern Polytechnic State University and the Director of Assessment and Evaluation at the University of Louisiana—Monroe. In these roles, Galle provided leadership in order to help create ongoing programs of continuous and meaningful assessment. Galle also has worked with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as an outside evaluator. She has made presentations at several SACS conferences, AAC&U conferences, and the POD Conference. She earned her Ph.D. in English at Louisiana State University.

Dr. Camilla Gant joined the University of West Georgia faculty in 1995, and serves as Director and Professor of Mass Communications. For Dr. Gant, transformational learning is inspired by a commitment to research and teaching development initiatives that enrich teaching and learning and advance society. She has published and presented pedagogical research that centers on computer-mediated discourse, assessing TV newswriting, and TV news decision-making, with particular focus on the process of framing race. Dr. Gant has served as a Journalism & Mass Communication Leadership Institute for Diversity Fellow, Excellence in Journalism Education Fellow, and Diversity Leadership Institute for Journalism Administrators Fellow. Dr. Gant earned her Ph.D. and M.A. from Ohio State University, and her B.A. from Clark Atlanta University. She resides in Douglasville, Georgia, with her husband Troy and 6-year-old daughter Priscilla. She serves as a minister at Life Changing Walk of Faith Church, Inc. in East Point, Georgia, where her husband serves as senior pastor.

Thomas C. (Cliff) Gardiner has served as Assistant Dean of the Pamplin College of Arts and Sciences at Augusta State University since October 2004. Prior to this, he served for 17 years as a member of the English faculty at ASU. He currently leads the College’s efforts in coordinating the annual unit planning and assessment process for 14 academic departments and the Academic Advisement Center. He serves as point person within the College regarding matters relevant to institutional accreditation and efforts to improve student retention and progression toward graduation. In this connection, Dr. Gardiner continues to maintain a presence in the classroom, teaching incoming freshmen in the University’s introduction to college seminar as part of the institutional effort to help students succeed in college. For the past five years, he has been the faculty representative chosen to address new students and parents at University Orientations about success in college, making presentations to over 1800 incoming students and their parents annually. He assists the Dean in handling all student academic issues, including reinstatements, academic renewal, ADA concerns, informal complaints, and formal grievances and appeals.

Chris Geiger is Director of the Center for Student Involvement at University of West Georgia. Previous positions at UWG include Associate Director of the Campus Center for Student Activities and Associate/Assistant Director of Student Activities. He also served as Interim Director of the Campus Center. Chris has taught UWG 1101-The University Experience and XIDS 2002: What do you know about leadership? and was a volunteer Academic Advisor. Chris served as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Campus Activities, 2000-2001, and also as National Convention Chairperson and Chairperson of the Commission for Student Development. He has written articles for the NACA magazine-Campus Activities Programming. He served on the “Carroll ‘96” Olympic Torch Relay Committee and is a volunteer reading tutor at the local elementary school.

Brian Gerber is Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Outreach for the Dewar College of Education at Valdosta State University. Part of his job is to write and manage grants that focus on local teacher professional development, communicate regularly with the local business and K-12 community, and assist in the operation of the Valdosta Early College Academy. He has lived in Valdosta since earning a doctorate in science education from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK, in 1996. Other degrees include a Master’s and BA in biology and BS in secondary education, all from Kent State University and an Associate degree in wildlife management from Hocking Technical College. Brian and his wife Mary have three children, Matthew, 11, Catherine, 9 and Will, 6.

Randall Griffus joined the faculty at Dalton State College in 1995 as an Instructor of Mathematics. He began serving as Chair of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in 2005 and, with the reorganization of the College, became Dean of the School of Sciences and Mathematics in 2007. His activities include program development and collaboration with local school systems. He has also held teaching positions at Southern Union State Community College and Jackson State University.
Randall earned a BS (1991) in Applied Mathematics, and the MS (1993) and PhD (1996) in Mathematics from Auburn University.

Natalie Higley earned her BS in Organizational Management and her MS in Management from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York. She is the Chief Business Officer and Assistant Director of Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. Her responsibilities include fiscal policy development; long range financial forecasting and planning; budget development and analysis; financial accounting and reporting; grant and contract administration; personnel administration; purchasing; and risk management. Higley has more than 15 years experience in executive management. Prior to Skidaway, Higley was Vice President of Business and Finance at Bainbridge College for five years. Prior to higher education, she served as Chief Financial Officer for First Allied Corporation, a real estate holding company that consisted of 46 shopping plazas, 12 mobile home parks, five nursing homes, a major television station, a bio-patent company, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Janette R. Hill is Professor and Head of the Department Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy at University of Georgia. She earned her M.S.L.S. in Library and Information Science and her Ph.D. in Instructional Systems at Florida State University. Dr. Hill has published extensively, with particular emphasis in the areas of online learning environments and community building in virtual environments. Her teaching interests include online learning, research methods, and adult learning. She has participated in diverse design projects, including a training project as a faculty fellow at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and an exchange program as a Design Fellow at Douglas Mawson Institute in Adelaide, South Australia. Dr. Hill has presented her work and conducted workshops in the U.S. and other countries, including South Korea, Taiwan, and Tunisia. She has been a visiting scholar at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia. Dr. Hill has held a variety of leadership positions at UGA as well as in professional organizations.
She is a certified yoga instructor and teaches in Athens. She enjoys working out and spending time with her pets, and sings in a small band, Without Pearls.

Dr. Charles Lee Isbell, Jr. received his B.S. degree in computer science in 1990 from the Georgia Tech. He continued his education at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After earning his PhD from MIT in 1998, Charles joined AT&T Labs/Research. In 2002, he returned to Georgia Tech in the College of Computing. Charles’ recent technical focus is on developing new algorithms for activity discovery; doing adaptive coordination, especially in narrative; and in developing adaptive programming languages. His work with agents who interact in social communities has been featured in The New York Times and Washington Post. Since graduating from MIT, he has won two best paper awards for technical contributions in this area. Charles has also pursued reform in computer science education. He was an architect of Threads, Georgia Tech’s new structuring principle for computing curricula. This work has received international attention, and has been presented in the academic and popular press. Recently, he has become the Associate Dean Academic Affairs for the College of Computing, focusing on academic programs at Georgia Tech and on issues in the K-16 pipeline.

Edward Jolley is Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs at Savannah State University. He is responsible for the stewardship and enhancement of the University’s human, financial and physical resources while providing a safe and secure environment for faculty, staff and students to work and attend classes. Prior to joining Savannah State University, Mr. Jolley served as Vice President for Finance at Saint Paul’s College and Norfolk State University, Comptroller and Assistant Treasurer at Eastern Michigan University, Assistant Vice President for Finance at Morgan State University, and Audit Manager at Ernst and Young. He is a PhD student at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. He has a BS in Accounting from Morgan State University and an MBA from Regis University. He is married to Tammy Jolley and has two daughters and a son.

Jaclyn Kaylor is completing her seventh year with Georgia Southwestern State University Athletics, currently serving as the Director of Athletics. Jaclyn came to GSW in 2004 as the Hurricanes’ Head Athletic Trainer. She worked in that capacity for three years while also serving as Assistant Athletic Director and NCAA Compliance Coordinator, and then spent the next two years as the Associate Athletic Director. Jaclyn also serves as Instructor in the Health and Human Performance Department. Kaylor earned her bachelor’s degree in sports medicine at Georgia Southern University in 2000 after four years as a member of the Lady Eagles softball team. In 2002 she graduated from the University of Kentucky with a master’s degree in athletic training. Jaclyn stays active in her field by maintaining memberships in numerous professional associations. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration at Georgia Southwestern and plans to pursue a PhD in Sports Management. In her free time Jaclyn enjoys skydiving, kayaking, scuba diving, golf, and reading.

Christopher King currently serves as the Assistant Vice President for Research and University Director of Animal Care and Use at UGA. He is a professor the Department of Population Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine and directs the laboratory animal medicine unit. He received his DVM from the VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at VA Tech and completed an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at Yale Medical School in Comparative Medicine. He is a board-certified Diplomat of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. As the Assistant VP for Research, Chris is responsible for both research compliance and research support activities. Compliance activities involve support of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, which includes a campus-wide training program, an occupational health and safety program, and oversight of 30 sites around the state. Research support involves the leadership of University Research Animal Resources which provides professional and technical services for all the biomedical research using animals at UGA. The URAR is internationally accredited and is responsible for high quality animal facilities, including a world-class high level containment facility for infectious disease research.

Alex Koohang joined Macon State College in July 2007 as the Dean of the School of Information Technology. He has 23 years’ experience in academe, serving as assistant/associate and professor, program coordinator, academic and program director, division head, and dean. He is also a researcher in the fields of Information Technology and E-Learning. He enjoys publishing and presenting when he gets the time. He is the current editor-in-chief of the Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects. He serves on the editorial review board of four publications and is a Fellow at the Informing Science Institute. He is the recipient of a number of awards including the Macon State’s Outstanding Award of Scholarly Activities and the 2009 Computer Educator of the Year from the International Association for Computer Information Systems. Alex holds a Ph.D. degree; two MS degrees, one in management; and a BS. He is also a certified data educator. He enjoys walking/jogging, listening to music, writing, presenting, and cooking gourmet food.

Jonathan Lambright is currently Associate Professor and chair of the Engineering Technology and Mathematics department at Savannah State University. He came to Savannah State in 2002 as Assistant Professor and became interim chair in the fall of 2008. Prior to Savannah State University, Jonathan worked for small management consulting firms in the Atlanta area, focusing on Manufacturing Execution Systems and Customer Relationship Management Systems. He worked as a design engineer for Lockheed Martin in Marietta, Georgia. He also worked for the Department of Defense at the Charleston Naval Shipyard as a marine mechanical engineer. His degrees are in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on automated design and manufacturing. He attended North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC, and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Donald J. Moore is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. He is currently Director of Business and Finance for Fort Valley State University. Prior to 2008, he was Director of High School and Community College Recruitment. In 2006, he was appointed Director of Admission and Recruitment. In 1988 Mr. Moore began his career at Florida A & M University (FAMU) as Coordinator of Student Services for The School of Allied Health Sciences. He assisted the dean in the performance of the daily operation of the school and its five academic programs.

Laura Musselwhite is Associate Dean for Strategic Planning, Assessment and Accreditation at Georgia Highlands College in Rome. She also is Professor of History and teaches one course per semester. Musselwhite has been at GHC since 1991, with the majority of her career being in the classroom. She has a BA in History from Berry College, an MA in Early Modern European History from the University of Georgia, and a PhD in Early Modern European History from Georgia State University. Her interest in administration developed several years ago when she headed GHC’s SACS reaffirmation process. She is also a SACS on-site reviewer, with particular interest in student learning outcomes assessment. This is her second year in her current position.

Dr. Tom Nelson is professor and department head in Biology at North Georgia College & State University, a position he has held since August 2008. The Department includes 21 faculty and 400+ majors. In addition, he serves on the Academic Activities Committee charged with reviewing and recommending policies pertaining to undergraduate programs and the Professional Education Committee. Dr. Nelson’s research specialties are in wildlife ecology and directing undergraduate research, areas to which he has contributed over 30 professional papers and 70 presentations at conferences and workshops. Prior to NGCSU, he served for 14 years as professor and director of the Environmental Biology Program at Eastern Illinois University and 5 years as chair of the Biology Department at Arkansas Tech University. Tom holds a B.S. in biological sciences from Illinois State University and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in ecology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. His wife Dianne is professor of Nursing at NGCSU. They are the parents of 3 grown children.

Since October 2008 Keith Newell has served as Director of Human Resources at South Georgia College. Prior to joining the USG, Keith worked more than nine years with the Technical College System of Georgia in various roles. He began his career teaching various business courses in the Information Office Technology program for Ben Hill-Irwin Technical Institute, now known as Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. Within a short time, Keith began working in admissions, financial aid, and evening instructional supervision. During his tenure with the technical system, Keith held several key administrative roles. Prior to his educational career, Keith worked with Fleetwood Homes of Georgia and Morgan Drive-Away (now Bennett Transport). Keith graduated from South Georgia College in 1989 before transferring to Georgia Southern University where he earned his MBA in 1993. Keith is originally from Douglas, Georgia. He serves the Douglas community as President-Elect for the Douglas Rotary Club for 2011, as Chairman of the Douglas Area Employer Committee with the Georgia Department of Labor, and as a commissioner for the Douglas Housing Authority.

Julie R. Newell, native of Idaho, completed her undergraduate studies at Boise State University. She went on to graduate work in History of Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After completing her PhD in 1993, she became a full-time faculty member at Southern Polytechnic State University, where she is now a tenured professor, coordinator of the Science, Technology, and Society Program, and chair of the Social and International Studies Department. Dr. Newell loves working with students–inside or outside the classroom. Her teaching philosophy is: teach to change what’s possible. She considers herself a lifelong learner and enjoys her fourteen-year-old daughter, science, nature and is a native plant gardener.

Dr. Kirk A. Nooks obtained a B.S. in Industrial Management and an M.B.A. in Marketing, both from Mercer University. After serving as a Project Manager for a $40 million government engineering contract, he and his family relocated to Washington DC in 2002. He graduated with a Doctor of Education from George Washington University in 2007. Since then, Dr. Nooks has served in various leadership roles, including Dean of Student Services and Campus Director. Along with his other positions, he served as Director of Institutional Accountability and Governance with college and K-12 faculty to address the issue of “readiness,” and developed partnerships with college and civic leaders to provide afterschool programs for elementary school students. He has published articles and made national conference presentations. In November 2001, Dr. Nooks was selected as CACI’s Black Engineer of the Year. He is serving the final year of an educational leadership consortium program and was selected as the project manager, addressing financial literacy concerns in higher education. Dr. Nooks currently serves as the Campus Director for the Marietta location of Georgia Highlands College.

W. Mack Palmour currently serves as the Director of Admissions at Gainesville State College. He has been in this position for the past six years. Prior to working at GSC, Mack served as the Associate Director of Admissions at North Georgia College & State University. He has also held positions at Lehigh Carbon Community College (PA), Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia State University, and Armstrong State College (Now Armstrong Atlantic). Additionally, he spent several years as a Senior Sales Manager for Marriott International. Mack earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from North Georgia College and a Master of Arts in Student Personnel Services from Northwestern State University (LA). Mack is very involved in state and regional organizations and served as President for the Georgia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (GACRAO) in 2009-2010. He has presented at state, regional and national conferences on a variety of topics. He is also an avid walker and recently completed his fifth half marathon.

Dr. Charles E. Patterson serves as the Vice President for Research at Georgia Southern, Executive Director of the Georgia Southern University Research and Service Foundation, Inc., and Dean of the Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies. In this capacity Dr. Patterson is responsible for strategically growing Georgia Southern’s research and graduate education enterprises, encouraging partnerships with industry and other research institutions, and ensuring integration between the research and instructional elements of the University’s mission. Dr. Patterson earned a B.S. in biochemistry from Mississippi State University and a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He also conducted postdoctoral research at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Patterson came to Georgia Southern University in 2008 from Baylor University, where he served in both research and grants administration. He is a Certified Research Administrator, an active member of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), a member of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), and a member of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM).

Julie Peterson is the Controller at Kennesaw State University (KSU). As Controller, Julie’s responsibilities include general accounting; the general ledger; student accounts; cash management; compliance with federal, state, and USG policy and audit guidelines; fixed asset inventory and depreciation system; and preparation of annual financial statements. Julie joined KSU in 2000 and has served in various roles including Business Manager, Assistant Director of Accounting and Analysis and Director of Reporting and Compliance prior to being promoted to Controller in February of 2010. She has prior experience at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas Health Science Center – San Antonio. In 2010, Julie received her Georgia Certified Purchasing Associate (GCPA), and in 2009 she received her CPA license. She received her master’s in Accounting from Kennesaw State University in 2005 and her bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1985. Julie also serves on the system Accounting Issues Committee and PeopleSoft Advisory Committee. Julie is married and has two daughters ages 22 and 19. Her interests outside of work and family are gardening and reading.

Dr. Phillips is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and an Alumnus of Albany State University, having completed her Bachelor and Master’s Degree of Nursing at ASU. She received her Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree from the Medical College of Georgia (Georgia Health Sciences University). Dr. Phillips’ nursing experience includes Public Health, Urology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics, Women’s Health and Geriatrics; her background includes hospital, primary, public and long-term health care settings. Currently, she is the Family Nurse Practitioner and Director of Student Health Services for Albany State University.

Richard is chairperson since 2001 of the Division of Business and Social Sciences and Professor of History at South Georgia College, where he has taught since 1993. He has been teaching History in one institution and role or another since 1979. He was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2008-2009. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the European Union Studies Program (EUSP) of the University System of Georgia and has developed online courses for the EUSP as well as eCore.

Dr. Kendra Russell serves as Associate Professor and Assistant Director of the School of Nursing at Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA. She completed her BSN and MSN in Nursing Administration at GCSU and Doctorate at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. Dr. Russell’s research focus is in maternal/infant outcomes, and she has published and presented her research at local, state, and national conventions. Dr. Russell is actively involved in her community through Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Communities of Shalom initiative in Macon. A 2009 Leadership Macon Graduate, Kendra resides in Macon with her husband, Reginald.

Michael L. Sanseviro is the dean of student success at Kennesaw State University and director of residence life. Michael joined the KSU family in January 2004 as the first director of residence life, establishing a new department at KSU. Prior to KSU, Michael worked at Georgia Perimeter College, Lawrenceville campus in the Gwinnett University Center as director of student life. Michael is from Merrick, Long Island, NY. He received his BA at Emory in 1989 with majors in Educational Research, Philosophy & Religion. He completed his MS in Higher Education Administration at Florida State University in 1991 and his PhD at Georgia State University in Educational Policy Studies in 2006. Michael also teaches in KSU’s University College, and is a senior faculty member for Keller Graduate School. Michael is active in numerous professional organizations, frequently presenting at conferences. Community service involvement includes serving on the supervisory committee of the board of directors of LGE Credit Union and on his community HOA board of directors. Michael is also advisor to the KSU chapter of Golden Key International Honour Society.

Darby Sewell is from Moultrie, GA. She currently serves as Dean of the School of Human Sciences at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Her faculty area is in Family and Consumer Sciences. She assumed the role of Interim Dean of this newly created school after ABAC underwent Academic Reorganization in April of 2009 and was named Dean in June of 2010. She received her B.S. and M.Ed. from University of Georgia and her Ph.D. from Iowa State University. She is married and has a 14-month-old son.

Said L. Sewell is Associate Professor, History, Geography, Political Science, and Criminal Justice and Executive Director of The Academic Success Center at Fort Valley State University. A native of Houston, he received his B.A. from Morehouse College in 1992, his Master of Public Administration in public policy from Texas Southern University, and his Ph.D. in political science from Clark Atlanta University in 2001. He has done postgraduate work at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and School of Divinity. Dr. Sewell has taught at Georgia Perimeter College, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Albany State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and University of West Georgia. Professor Sewell is the author of several articles and is currently completing work on two books. Dr. Sewell’s most recent contribution was the formulation of the Center for African-American Males Research, Success, and Leadership, the first of its kind in Georgia. He has received numerous teaching awards. Sewell has also worked on numerous regional and national political campaigns. He is an ordained Baptist minister and is active in several professional, civic, and social organizations.

Lisa Sills has served since 2006 as Deputy Director for Support Operations at GTRI where she is responsible for seven support units. Lisa provides oversight to the Training Council and Work Council which are responsible for career development and internal training and business process improvement respectively. Ms. Sills manages space and modernization planning and participates in the annual research faculty promotion process. Prior to her current position, Ms. Sills had 18 years experience in software design, implementation, testing, documentation, and program management with the Information Technology & Telecommunications Lab (ITTL) at GTRI. She had an leadership role as principal investigator (PI) or co-PI in an array of research projects. Technology used by Lisa during her career ranges from relational database design, self-describing databases, data warehouse technology, message transaction format (MTF), to extensible markup language (XML), web services, and public key infrastructure (PKI) security technology in addition to federated identity management. She received her M.S. in Information and Computer Science at Georgia Tech in 1988 and a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Mathematics both from Valdosta State University in 1984.

Dr. Eric Skipper, Interim Assistant VP of Academic Enrichment and Professor of Spanish at Gainesville State College, received his Ph.D. in Spanish literature from Florida State University and B.S in Management from Georgia Tech. His current areas of oversight include Learning Support, ESL, Student Academic Success, the ACTT (Academic Computing, Testing and Tutoring) Center and Supplemental Instruction. Dr. Skipper was named the 2010 American Assn. of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese-Georgia chapter Professor of the Year. He is the author of scholarly articles, book reviews, and fiction. His interest in the American author John Steinbeck centers on the Mexican and Mexican-American characters that appear in the Nobel Prize-winner’s work. He is a contributor to the Steinbeck Review and the Steinbeck Encyclopedia. His edited volume, A Recipe for Discourse: Perspectives on Like Water for Chocolate (Rodopi Press) will appear this year.

Brian Stanley has been Controller at Macon State College since October 2006. He also serves on the administrative and academic councils. He is a licensed CPA and Certified Government Financial Manager. Brian received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia College & State University and plans to complete his MBA there in the fall 2011. Prior to coming to Macon State College in October 2006, he was employed with the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts (DOAA) for twelve years. At the DOAA he was a senior auditor in the Education Audit Division, in charge of audit engagements of various public school systems, colleges and universities, and technical colleges. He also helped start the Office of Quality Assurance and helped ensure that the Department maintained an appropriate internal quality control system and assisted on various fraud engagements and external peer review engagements.

Tonya Strickland is Interim Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at Bainbridge College as well as a tenured professor in Learning Support English and Reading. Prior to her current position, she was Chair of Learning Support and Interim Chair for Arts and Sciences at Bainbridge College. Dr. Strickland has received several national and state awards. She earned her doctorate from Baylor University and her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wyoming. She was a participant in Leadership Decatur County in 2005, when she, her husband, Charlie, and their three children moved to Bainbridge. She enjoys photography, web design, writing, and racquetball.

Alan Travis is in his eighth year as Director of Planning for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG), working in the areas of campus master planning and development, capital planning, space programming and utilization, and strategic planning. Prior to joining the USG, he was Director of Research for Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate firm. He began his professional career practicing land use and development planning for a diverse variety of local government jurisdictions and agencies. Alan earned a BA in Economics (1987) and an MS in Planning (1990) from the University of Tennessee. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and is an active participant in the Society of College and University Planning.

Bonnie Troiano has been the Director of Operations for the Office of the Provost for Georgia Health Sciences University (formerly Medical College of Georgia) since 2005. Responsibilities include operational and strategic planning support for the Provost, providing budgetary oversight to the Schools of Dentistry, Allied Health, Nursing, and Graduate Studies, in addition to a number of academic support units reporting to the Provost. Prior to her current position, Ms. Troiano was Director of Ambulatory Care Services where she provided administrative leadership and support to the health system’s outpatient care facility. In this role, she was responsible for the operational and financial viability of 85 different sub-specialty clinics providing health care services to patients throughout the state. She earned her B.A. from Augusta College, a Master’s of Public Administration from Georgia Southern University, and a Master of Health Services Administration from Armstrong Atlantic State University. She has also earned the Certified Healthcare Executive designation from the American College of Healthcare Executives. Professional areas of interest and focus include strategic planning, process improvement, and organizational development.

Julius E. Whitaker has been the executive assistant to the President at Georgia Perimeter College since July 2008. In this capacity, he works with the college community to complete institutional directives and ensure that activities are consistent with the mission, policies and objectives of the college. Mr. Whitaker has been with Georgia Perimeter College since 1992, originally as a librarian/assistant professor. He has also served as Director of Learning Resources, Acting Provost, and Acting Dean of Recruitment, Admissions and Testing. Prior to arriving at Georgia Perimeter College, Mr. Whitaker worked at Howard University in numerous positions in the Undergraduate and Graduate Libraries. Julius holds a B.A. in Sociology and Social Welfare from Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, NC, and an M.L.S. in Library and Information Services from Atlanta University.

Valerie Whittlesey is Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs and Curriculum and Professor of Psychology at Kennesaw State University. Previously, she served four years as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and four years as Chair of the Psychology Department at KSU. Dr. Whittlesey received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University in 1985. She has more than 60 publications and presentations in the areas of children’s racial attitudes, racial and social class similarities and differences in children’s conceptual development, student learning outcomes assessment, and diversity in the psychology curriculum. Dr. Whittlesey is actively involved with the American Psychological Association and has served for three years as Secretary for one of its divisions. She is a Fellow of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and a member of the Executive committee for the Southeastern Psychological Association. Dr. Whittlesey participated in the American Association of State Colleges and University’s Millennium Leadership Institute as a member of the class of 2005.

Jane Wong has served as Head of the Psychology Dept. at Armstrong since 2002. From January through July of 2006, she served as Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Armstrong. Prior to joining the faculty/administration at Armstrong, she served as Coordinator of Graduate Studies in the department of Psychology at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in Cedar Falls, where she had been a faculty member since 1988, teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses primarily in the area of clinical psychology. During 1995-1996, Dr. Wong completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ. She also won UNI’s Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award for 1998-1999. Under her leadership, Armstrong’s Department of Psychology developed a Bachelor of Science degree in addition to the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology it had traditionally offered, and UNI’s graduate program in psychology grew to become one of the largest and most diverse master’s degree programs on campus. Jane Wong and her husband enjoy gardening, recreational walking, and enjoying the culture and sights of downtown Savannah.